Morocco: Five Months in Jail for a Person who Ate in Public during Ramadan

Morocco: Five months in Jail for a Person who ate in Public during Ramadan. Non-Contractual Photo.

The court of First Instance in the Moroccan city of Tiznit (Around one hour drive from Agadir) sentenced a young man who ate in public during the month of Ramadan to 5 months in jail, the daily Moroccan newspaper Al Khabar reported.

According to the same source, the individual had an indifferent attitude during his trial. In fact, the man did not deny the charges brought against him by the tribunal, especially when he told the judge: “do your job and leave me alone.”

The source added that at the time of his arrest by the authorities, the individual continued to eat without paying attention to the police elements, who questioned him about the reason behind him not observing the fasting.

As a reminder, Article 222 of the Moroccan Penal Code states that “a person commonly known to be Muslim, who violates the fast in a public place during Ramadan, without having one of the justifications allowed by Islam [such as travelling or sickness…] shall be sentenced from one to six months in jail. The person will be also subject to a fine ranging from 12 to 120 Dirhams.”